The phase one of the Assam elections has begun. Here is a quick fact sheet: 

•          Of the total 126 constituencies, polling is taking place in 65 of them in phase one
   
•          A total of 539 candidates are contesting on the 65 seats
   
•          Of the 126 constituencies, eight are reserved for the scheduled castes and 16 for the scheduled tribes
   
•          An electorate of about 95 lakh is eligible to exercise its franchise in 12,190 polling stations in phase one
   
•          While three-time Assam CM Tarun Gogoi continues to be the chief ministerial candidate from the Congress in the current     elections, the BJP is projecting minister of sports and youth affairs Sarbananda Sonowal for the CM’s post
   
•          In the last assembly elections, Congress had won 78 seats while the BJP had managed to win only five
   
•          In a move to put up a fight against the Congress, the BJP has joined hands with the Asom Gana Parishad, a state party that had won 10 seats in the 2011 assembly elections
   
•          In 2011, the number of electors were nearly 1.81 crore. This has increased to about 1.98 crore in the current elections
   
•          There will be a total of 24,888 polling stations in the state for both the phases
   
•          For the first time, electronic voting machines will be carrying a symbol for NOTA
   
•          The second phase of the elections will be held on April 11 and counting of votes will take place on May 19